By Your Side
by MelodyPond77
Summary: Sometimes, it's difficult to find 'the one'. But sometimes, she's right by your side.


**This is a (late) birthday present for Ethy on HPFC. The pairing is Dean Thomas and Parvati Patil. Technically it's not late because it's still his birthday in America. :D Happy Birthday Ethy! **

It's an odd feeling on September 1st, knowing that miles away the Hogwarts train is pulling out of 9 and 3/4, and I'm not on it. I wonder how many people won't be going back this year - obviously Harry, Ron and Hermione, but would the other seventh year Gryffindors go back? Would Seamus? Lavender? Parvati?

I hope that if they are, they'll be ok. They're my best mates, and I can't help but worry. But I have my own problems to worry about: namely, my blood.

Because I don't know who my da was, I can't prove where my magical blood came from.

And that means I'm an 'undesirable', and only fit to die in Azkaban, wandless and imprisoned.

I drag my thoughts away from my mates and push another pair of socks into my rucksack. They all have obvious connections to magical blood; they'll be fine. I said my goodbyes to them earlier; Seamus shook my hand and slapped my back, trying to keep the tears out of his eyes, Lavender full out sobbed into his arms after giving me a tearful hug, and Parvati was ashen faced, as if she'd finally realized the exact affect this was having on her life. She'd hugged me tightly, kissed my cheek, and didn't cry. A true Gryffindor through and through.

Finished packing, I tie a knot in my rucksack and push thoughts of the past from my mind. I have things to do, and one last goodbye to make.

* * *

><p><em>"I heard about the break-up." Parvati never wasted time with a greeting when she wanted to talk to you, so I know exactly what she's talking about when she sits down next to me under the tree by the lake. Ginny and I spent a lot of time under that tree... <em>

_"Honestly, I think it was coming, you know? As much as I liked her, I wasn't meant to be with her," I say, looking towards the Quidditch Pitch. They're practicing for Quidditch now, and I really should be there, but I can't take that right now. Being on a team with both Ron and Harry glaring at me for breaking up with Ginny isn't going to be fun; even though _she _broke up with _me, _they won't care. _

_"You know you shouldn't avoid them. It's only going to make it worse," she nudges my shoulder as she says this, and I grumble half-heartedly. I know she's right. But Katie's going to be back in time for the next match, so what's the point of torturing myself watching Potter flirt with my ex-girlfriend? _

_She seems to be reading my thoughts again, for she scoots closer to me and hugs me tightly, doing her best to comfort me. "You know I'll always be there for you, right? No matter what happens. You're one of my best mates," she tells me, and even just knowing that I have a friend as good as she is enough to make me feel better. _

_We don't say another word, but we don't need to; we just enjoy the quiet and watch the sun set on the lake until it grows too chilly to be outside anymore. _

The dream's still in my mind when I wake up, disoriented, to someone poking my face.

I've been on the run for a couple months now, just me, a rucksack, and six years worth of spells in my brain. It's been absolutely miserable, apparating from forest to barn to moors every day, but at least I'm free. As long as I avoid Death Eaters and keep a low profile, I should be fine. However, I'm still jumpy, of course, which is why I'm immediately on my feet, my wand gripped in my hand and a Shield Charm already propelling the intruder back a few feet.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there mate! I'm a friend. I'm not on You-Know-Who's side, promise." A middle-aged man stood with his hands up in surrender, watching me warily. I grip my hand tightly and growl at him, "Who the bloody hell are you?!"

He shushes me nervously, glancing into the bushes on either side of us. Unless he's an amazing actor for a Death Eater, he probably isn't a threat. But I still can't be sure.

"I'm Ted Tonks. Muggle-born and on the run, same as you probably. Your charms were a bit weak, and they didn't do much to keep me out. I figured I'd wake you before someone worse came along."

I nod slowly, still wary. It made sense; I'd been so exhausted when I'd apparated to these woods last night that I probably hadn't done much of putting up decent spells. They certainly weren't Granger worthy. But I still can't trust him.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

He shrugs, still holding his hands out in a gesture of peace. "You don't know, really. But if I _were _a Death Eater, wouldn't I have killed you already? Why waste time talking?"

Seems as good as any reason.

I drop my wand, holding a hand out for him to shake, and he takes it, smiling warmly. "Well then, Ted Tonks, I'm Dean Thomas. What do you say to joining me on the run?"

* * *

><p>We manage to sneak a few butter beers from a small pub one night, and we allow ourselves to relax just a bit. I tell Ted about Hogwarts, and how much I enjoyed being a Gryffindor, and he tells me about his daughter, who's an auror. Apparently she's married to my old professor, Professor Lupin, which makes me happy. He was one of my favorite teachers, and the only man who actually taught me good Defence.<p>

I can tell he misses his family; he talks about them nonstop, and he always gets a little misty-eyed, thinking about his unborn grandson. He doesn't know if he'll make it back in time to see him born, and I don't bother to reassure him. We both know it's unlikely. With only the the news we get when we can connect to Potterwatch on his portable, we know the situation is dire. There's a chance we could be caught and killed, easily.

"Got a girl?" He asks me one evening, and I shake my head.

"I used to date Ginny Weasley, but she dumped me for Potter halfway through last year," I grumble, and he smiles sadly.

"Young love isn't that bad, Dean. There's a lot of people in the world, and it's hard work to try to find the right one," he advises, and I nod. That's probably the best piece of advice I've gotten from an adult so far. All that 'plenty of fish in the sea' thing my mum gave me is crap.

"Well, what have you got to live for, Dean? If it's not a girl, what is it? School? Family? Though from what you've told me, you hid your mum away and ran, so I don't think it's that."

I should be on guard with all this prying, but this is just Ted Tonks for you. He loves trying to "figure me out" - the brave Muggleborn Gryffindor who isn't a part of the Order.

"Friends," I say shortly, and don't elaborate. It's our night's entertainment, this game of cat-and-mouse. He'll ask me more questions soon, trying to pry information from me.

"Really? What kind of friends? Potter? He's in your year, is he your friend?"

I scowl. Potter may be the "Boy-Who-Lived", but he did not understand the bro code. I didn't hate him, per se, but I definitely wasn't comfortable knowing he snogged the same girl I did.

"I take that as a 'no'. Who're your friends then?"

"My best mates. Seamus, his girlfriend Lavender. Parvati Patil."

Ted narrows his eyes at me. "You sure you don't got a girl?"

I shake my head. "No girls. Just best mates. Really."

"This Parvati girl, she got a boyfriend?"

"No. She broke up with her boyfriend at the end of last year. Said some shit about Harry fucking up the name Gryffindor and she dumped him on his stupid Ravenclaw arse. We may not like him much, but we are a loyal bunch." I shrug nonchalantly, hoping to avoid more discussion about this topic. I'd been far too happy when she'd dumped Michael Corner... but that was probably because he'd dated Ginny and I didn't like any guy dating my best female friend.

Ted grins at me. "Dean Thomas, I think I've figured you out. At least a part of you."

"Oh yea? And what am I like, Ted? What makes you think you've gotten it right this time?"

"The look in your eye when you say her name. Like you just wanna be where she is. You're in love with her, mate."

I look away, shifting uncomfortably. Maybe one time I thought about it, but... "No, we're just friends. There's nothing between us."

Ted shrugs, lying down on his makeshift bedroll, getting ready to turn in. "Just remember, Dean. Sometimes it takes forever to find the right one, but sometimes... sometimes she's right there waiting for you." He rolls over, and soon I hear his soft snores.

But I can't sleep, and it seems like I stare at the burning embers of our fire for ages.

* * *

><p>I'm disgruntled when we band with the other refugees who run across our path, but Ted accepts them with the same jovial Hufflepuff attitude he took with me.<p>

Dirk Cresswell is nice enough, but he's an idiot. Summoning salmon from the river is slightly ingenious, true, but he fails to impress me further, and he's certainly not as nice as Ted.

The goblins earn my severe distrust as soon as Griphook begins speaking about the sword of Gryffindor. I spend my evening wrapped in my thoughts, hoping Ginny's alright, breaking in to defend Harry whenever Dirk starts in on him again. Ted shoots me looks each time I do, but I ignore him. I agree with Parvati on this one - I may not like him, but he's a Gryffindor through and through. We're a loyal bunch.

We shut up when we hear crashing through the trees and someone sobbing, but all goes silent within a few minutes. I don't sleep that night, nor the next few nights. I just sit there, wishing for sunnier days and my best mates.

* * *

><p>In the end, it's Dirk who fucks it all up.<p>

He sneaks into a nearby town around Easter, snitches a few bottles of Ogden's finest, and then proceeds to get smashed with the goblins. They grow louder and louder, and Ted and I grow more and more nervous, but he refuses to leave them, despite my insistence to just leave them to their fate. And so, when Dirk shouts out You-Know-Who's name to the skies, we're both still around when the Death Eaters swarm.

They're Snatchers, and they slash Dirk and Ted down with bright green spells the moment the two men try to run. I fight back, throwing jinx after jinx until they finally disarm me, sending me to the ground with my wrists and legs bound. One leans over me, his breath rank and rotten.

"What 'ave we got here? A little mudblood?" Spittle lands on my cheek, and I wrinkle my nose in disgust.

"Who are you?"

"Dean Thomas," I grunt out. He chuckles as I struggle against the bonds.

"Well, Dean Thomas, you've been snatched. You work for the Dark Lord now, boy." I spit in his face, and he smacks me hard, his nails scratching my cheek sharply. Before he can do any real damage, though, a weird whistle sound goes off.

"Someone's said it! Someone's said the name!" Another of the Snatchers yells, and I groan inwardly as they hall me and Griphook up. I don't know what happened to the other one, and by this point, I don't give a damn.

The other man hauls us up, and standing, I can see the clearing around us. I spot the other goblin, dead on the ground, and Dirk and Ted lying a bit of a ways off. My heart constricts at the thought of Ted, never getting to see his baby grandson born, before I'm pulled into Apparation and I'm gone.

We land hard on the ground, thoughtlessly shoved aside as the Snatchers race towards the small tent. My heart is pounding in my ears, because it's very clearly someone on the run. Someone who's been on the run long enough with enough stuff to need an actual tent.

Someone like Harry Potter.

Sure enough, they drag out three people - one with a mop of flame red hair, one with a mass of brown curls, and the third with a puffy face so big he was clearly hit with a stinging hex.

I have to refrain from laughing at that. I doubt that when Harry taught us that in the DA two years ago, he'd expected his own pupils to use it against him.

They're dragged over by the Snatchers, and I pretend not to recognize them. Hermione's eyes widen slightly, but she makes no sound at my appearance, simply turning back to Fenrir Grayback and lying about her name, calm as ever. For a moment I think he's buying it, but then the other one - Scabier, I learn, finds the sword and all hell breaks loose.

"We've got Harry Potter!" They're crowing, and I feel the three struggling against my back.

_Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. _

"...to the Ministry?"

"To hell with the Ministry," Greyback says, and my heart sinks. Though few and far between, there were still some undercover Order members there. With the other half being Confunded, it would've been easier to escape from there.

"...I say we take him straight to You-Know-Who."

"Will you summon 'im? _'ere?_"

_Fuck fuck FUCK! I'm too young to be killed by Voldemort. _

"No," Greyback snarls, "I haven't got - they say he's using the Malfoys' place as a base. We'll take the boy there."

My mind registers the slip up, and it cheers me for a second. Clearly Greyback doesn't wear the Dark Mark, meaning, despite his lording over the rest of the Snatchers, he's still not good enough for the Head Boss.

With a triumphant cry, Fenrir Greyback orders the Snatchers to Apparate us to Malfoy Manor, and we're dragged back into suffocating darkness.

* * *

><p>They drag me down the stairs and throw me in a cellar with Ron and Harry as Bellatrix sets to torturing Hermione about the sword. Ron's going ballistic - I would be too if it were Parvati up there - and it's enough to draw the attention of the others in our massive cellar.<p>

Who, of course, turn out to be Luna Lovegood and Mr Ollivander himself. Why they're down in the cellar, I've no clue, but I smile at her as she starts to pick at our ropes. There's no sense in aggravating myself like Ronf; I may as well catch up on everything I've missed.

"Hey Luna, how's it going? Besides being stuck in Malfoy's cell," I start, and she cracks a grin. She's still happy, that one, despite everything.

"They actually haven't been too bad. They usually don't want to deal with me, so they just make sure the house elves feed me, and as I'm never wanted for information, I never leave the cellar. Mr Ollivander has, though... they took him for information about You-Know-Who's wand, and he's been called up multiple times. He always comes back shaken. I feel sorry for the poor man," she says, reaching out and hugging him.

Harry's going crazy now, too, as the screams grow louder, and my conversation with Luna breaks off when Malfoy shouts at us to stand against the wall silently. He drags out Griphook - whatever they plan to do, even he doesn't deserve it - and as the door shuts, I hear a loud crack.

Ron sets clicks his light thing and releases the tiny suns again to reveal a house elf.

"Dobby?" Harry whispers, and the little elf smiles.

"Dobby is here to rescue Harry Potter, sir!"

Before I know what's happening, Harry's taken charge again, asking the elf to Apparate me, Luna and Mr Ollivander out of the cellar before coming back for them. Dobby takes Ollivander's hand and holds his other out to me, but I don't move. I refuse to leave them behind.

Luna doesn't move either. "Harry, we want to help you!"

I nod in agreement. "We can't leave you here."

He turns on me with a look of ultimate pain in his eyes, and I'm shocked for a moment. "Go, both of you! We'll see you at Bill and Fleur's," he gasps out, cringing as he scrunches his eyes shut, finally forcing them open as another scream ricochets down from above.

"Go!" he half-whispers, panic in his eyes. "Go! We'll follow, just go!"

Luna and I don't need another motive; I grab her hand and we latch onto Dobby.

The last thing we hear is one more piercing wail as we Apparate out of there with a sharp _crack!_

* * *

><p>Bill and Fleur run from their cottage when Dobby Apparates us into their cottage. Fleur's drying her hands on her jeans and Bill has his wand out, pointing it at the two of us suspiciously. Dobby gives a salute, then Apparates away with another loud <em>crack! <em>

"Bill! Bill! 'Eet is the Lovegood! Ginny's friend! Ze girl taken from ze train!"

Bill nods, still wary. "Luna Lovegood. And... who're you?" He looks me over, taking in the bruises and dirt covering my skin.

"Dean Thomas, sir. I'm a classmate of Harry's. Look, we can do this whole 'I don't trust you thing' later, Mr Ollivander's going to collapse from exhaustion!" I snap out, and Fleur grabs him from where I've been holding him up, leading him inside. I hear her muttering in French, before Bill turns back to me.

"I'm sorry, but we can't be too careful. Luna, what did you say to me at my wedding?"

She smiled serenly. "I told you to beware the Harping Humdingers. They do adore a good waltz. And I can vouch for Dean, Bill."

He grinned. "Well, then, Dean Thomas - welcome to Shell Cottage."

The inside is quaint, and much better than where I've been staying the past eight months, but I don't get to enjoy much of it, for all of a sudden we hear another crack and then screams of "DOBBY!" fill the air.

I race past a stumbling Ron, who is carrying an unconscious Hermione inside. Harry is kneeling in the sand, Dobby lying in his arms with a silver knife embedded in his chest. I stop beside Luna in shock.

Even though I only knew him for a few short moments, he had just saved my life at the expense of his own. I wasn't quite sure how to live with that.

Watching Harry kneeling there, I realized how fast it could end. First Ted, then Dobby - each life snuffed out in a simple split second, unexpected. What things had they never gotten to say? To do? Ted didn't get to see his grandson born, and Dobby didn't get to see a world where elves were free.

If I died tomorrow, what would I regret?

* * *

><p>We settle into a routine over the next month at Shell Cottage. Luna and I help out around the house, making sure Fleur isn't too busy taking care of all the extra people by herself, and it gives me a long time to think over everything that's happened since I left.<p>

I keep going over everything Ted told me. He was always so happy, despite being on the run. All the stories he told me about his wife, Andi, and his daughter, Dora, and his son-in-law, Remus - he loved each and every one of them, and he kept himself alive for them. Yet none of them knew he was gone.

I can't tell Professor Lupin when he stops by the day his son was born - I can barely stay in the room after he'd says the boy had been named Ted. I slap on a celebratory face and talk with Luna the whole time, avoiding the happy father, but I can't help but think about what I have to tell him.

Professor Lupin is so in love with Tonks, and so happy with his newborn baby, I can't ruin it. I wish I had something like that, but I doubt I'll find it. But the words of the late Ted Tonks keep running through my mind, and I can't figure out what I want. This war is really fucking with my brain.

When Harry, Ron and Hermione leave silently in the night, I'm almost a bit relieved. The day before they do, Bill and Fleur plan to send us to his Aunt Muriel's soon, figuring we'd be much happier in the company of Ginny and the twins, instead of an 'old married couple like them', as Bill puts it. Harry glances over at me, and I know what he wants. He wants me to make sure Ginny's ok, to tell her they're alive, and to tell her he'll come home.

I nod once at him over the table, and he looks relieved. I don't feel jealous about his relationship with Ginny anymore; I got over that while running with Ted. I can see how much he cares for her, too, and any jealousy I may have had disappeared the moment he took charge in the cellar of Malfoy Manor.

They're gone by the time I wake up the next morning.

* * *

><p>"Luna! Dean!" Ginny races from the great house as soon as we Apparate there with Bill. She throws her arms around Luna, and then me, and I tense up, awkwardly hugging her back. Various other Weasley members spill from the doors, along with Lupin and Tonks and the baby, who are apparently visiting. I can't look them in the eye, instead heading inside after Ginny.<p>

I can't avoid them forever, though. Gathering all my Gryffindor courage, I ask them both to speak to me in private, and we sit down.

"I was on the run with Ted..." I start, and I stop. I don't know how to say this.

Tonks gets a sympathetic look, and Lupin wraps his arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "We know," she says shakily, and I swallow. "We heard about it on Potterwatch. But thank you for telling us yourself, Dean."

They nod their thanks to me, leaving the room quickly. I sit at the window, looking out at the stars and wishing Ted could still be alive when I hear a knock on the door.

"Dean? Are you alright?"

Ginny's standing in the doorway, wearing Gryffindor pajama pants, a hand knit sweater and thick fuzzy socks. Her sheet of red hair is tied up into a bun, out of the way. She looks as terrible as I feel as she comes and sits on the window seat beside me.

"Hey, Gin," I whisper, not looking at her. She pauses a second, then...

"You saw him? He's alive?"

"Aye, Gin, he's alive. He sends his love."

She scoffs. "No, he doesn't. He's too busy pretending I mean nothing to him to protect me. Why can't he just come home and stay here with me? Forget all this You-Know-Who business," she says bitterly, and I'm a bit shocked.

"You know he can't do that, Gin. We all know it. If we ever want to get out of this mess, we need Harry Potter."

She sighs. "I know. I know, I just hate it, this whole 'waiting around' idea, always being protected by _somebody. _First my brothers, then my boyfriends, now Harry _freaking _Potter..."

"He really does love you, you know. He just couldn't say anything because Ron was always there, and you know how he gets about you," I add, smiling ruefully. Ron threw a few good punches my way those few times he caught us snogging in passageways; he was extremely overprotective of his baby sister.

Ginny doesn't laugh like I hoped she would; she just sighs and pulls her knees to her chin on the windowseat. "Do you really think so? Sometimes I think that he couldn't have loved me that much if it was so easy for him to let go."

"He loves you, trust me. You can see it in his eyes."

"Yea? What does that look like? I haven't seen it in a long time..."

I shrug. "It looks like how I should have looked at you."

She's silent. "I'm sorry for breaking your heart, if I did," she finally says, and I shake my head.

"You didn't break my heart. I was sad, sure, but I don't think we really worked out. You always had eyes for Harry, even if it was unintentional. It would've been nice of you to dump me sooner instead of leading me on a bit, but... I don't blame you for anything, Ginny Weasley."

"I didn't lead you on! I dumped you the moment I figured it out!"

I cock my head to the side, curious. "Figured what out?"

"That you were in love with Parvati!"

This sudden admission leaves the room in complete and utter silence as I stare at her. Why does everyone think I'm in love with Parvati?

"Gin, we're just friends. She's my best mate, and that's all ok? Why would you thi-"

"When you were sad and upset, you turned to Parvati. You conjured her roses on her birthday. You went to her Chess Club games and spent hours helping her through Potions, even when it meant you didn't spend time with me. Maybe you didn't realize it, but you're _in love with her." _

I stop. Maybe she's right. I do love Parvati with all my heart - and while I always thought it'd be like she was a sister to me, perhaps I was wrong. Maybe the hatred for her previous boyfriends was actually jealousy, and maybe I've just been fooling myself with thoughts of how it could never be.

Because Gin is right; I did put Parvati before anyone else. I always have, and I think I always will. I guess Ted was right, that I loved her because she was what I lived for.

"I...I can't think about that right now, Gin. I mean, I don't know if I'll ever see her again. And I doubt she feels the same way... maybe that's why I've been squashing my feelings for so long."

Ginny huffs. "She most definitely feels the same way. They put the sixth and seventh year girls together because there were so few of us, and either she talks about Seamus with Lavender or she wonders aloud to the entire dorm about where you are and whether you're still alive and if you're thinking of her. And she'll go on about how she should've kissed you when she got the chance, because now you're on the run and she doesn't know if you'll even make it out alive. It's honestly _pathetic." _

I glare at her for a moment, and she shrugs. "I mean no offense to her or you, but it can get annoying when all you talk about is two boys for the entire year. Trust me, she's in love with you."

I nod, my mind slightly numb at the revelation, but filled with hope nonetheless.

"She's my reason for living, you know?" I know I'm grinning stupidly, but I can't help it. I'm happy by what Ginny's just told me.

Ginny smiles ruefully, patting my hand. "I know, Dean. Believe me, I know."

* * *

><p>It's three weeks of just waiting until finally our coins heat our pockets and I see the words 'HOGWARTS - MAY 2ND, BATTLE' run themselves across the edge. Ginny, Luna and I are all talking over some tea when they heat up, and we freeze simultaneously, slowly withdrawing them before bolting from the table in search of other Weasley members.<p>

Everyone Apparates directly to the Hogs Head, as agreed on Potterwatch. I scramble into the tunnel behind Neville and we enter right behind Harry, Hermione and Ron. I barely notice how Harry's immediately looking at her with longing. I find Parvati in the crowd, and I make my way over to my mates.

"DEAN!" Semus cries, and Lavender Brown sobs onto me when she see me. Finally, Parvati hugs me tightly, blushing when I notice Seamus and Lavender moving away quietly.

"I've missed you."

"And I you."

"Dean, I-"

"I wanted to-"

"Sorry, you go first?"

"No, no, ladies first."

Parvati takes a deep breath. "I realized, when you weren't here this year that I missed you a lot. Like, more than just 'missing a friend' a lot, and - bollocks, I'm doing a shit job at this!" She's fidgeting, and that's when I realize she's trying to ask me out. I grin, pulling her mind back to reality instead of the awkwardness she's imagining.

"I think I know what you're trying to say, Parvati," I murmur, stepping slightly closer. She cocks an eyebrow in a fake sassy gesture, moving closer still until if she stands on her tiptoes and I lean in just a bit we can kiss perfectly.

"What was I going to-" she starts cheekily, but I've moved on already and have captured her lips within mine. Fireworks explode behind my lids and she kisses me back eagerly, and we're surrounded by people all preparing to fight, but for us, we're separate in our own little world.

I eventually break away, but I rest my forehead against hers. "I was so scared I'd never see you again, Parvati," I whisper, and she kisses me lightly.

"I wasn't sure if you'd make it back either, but I had to hope that you'd come back to me."

I brush my lips against her one last time. "I don't know what's going to happen in this battle, but I want you to know something before we go in there - you were what I lived for when I was on the run. I stayed alive so I could come back to you, and I promise to come back alive this time, too," I whisper, and she sighs.

"You were what I hoped and lived for, too," she says quietly, before we have to rejoin the world. I kiss her one more time before grabbing my wand, Parvati by my side.


End file.
